Another ‘Love Island’ Contestant Claims She Experienced “Bullying” & “Racism” On The Show

Following Jessie Wynter’s recent claims she experienced bullying while filming the 2019 season of Love Island, fellow islander Phoebe Thompson has echoed her sentiments, taking to her Instagram to call out a mystery islander who she claims made racial slurs.

Last week in an interview on the So Dramatic! podcast, Jessie alleged that during her time filming Season 2 of Love Island she was bullied. “At the time, I wasn’t able to process the bullying,” she said, before claiming that both herself and cast mate Cynthia Taylu “were were excluded from certain things.”

Now another islander from the 2019 season has spoken out in a series of Instagram Stories, with Phoebe claiming that one of the contestants bullied other people and made racial slurs. Phoebe’s father is Jamaican, while her mother is English-German, and she says that one cast member copped an edit that wasn’t true to her character. “One [of] the girls on the show fooled the whole of Australia with a completely fake persona, she bullied other and made racial slurs and the producers did NOTHING!!” Phoebe wrote.

When pressed on the identity of the girl, Phoebe did not identify who she was referring to but did tease that she was thinking of exposing who it was in an interview on a podcast. “She made no effort to apologise to the people she hurt… she’s actually gone out of her way to try and hide her racist agenda even further on socials… we have all protected her for too long,” Phoebe warned.

Phoebe’s account of what happened on the 2019 season of Love Island is similar to statements made by Cynthia in an interview with Refinery29 earlier this year. Cynthia was born in Liberia, moving to Australia when she was 7 years old and claims that during filming there was someone who would make “passing comments” and remarks “said in the form of a joke” that she considered racist. “There was one particular cast member who would make comments off-camera. I felt extremely uncomfortable around this particular girl,” she said.

Along with posting the above Instagram Stories, Phoebe also backed up Cynthia’s previous claims. “Even in the short time I was on the show I witnessed racism and homophobia from a certain cast member who was in a popular couple!! Ratings over Racism,” she said.

“This person now has a huge platform and over the last two years has continued to bully and project prejudice.”

Phoebe was part of a game-changing moment in Love Island Australia’s history when she coupled up with Cassie Lansdell — becoming the reality show’s first same-sex couple. Phoebe entered as a bomb on day four and was dumped from the island on day 12.

We’ve reached out to Channel 9 for comment regarding Phoebe and Jessie’s claims.